Watched a couple of standup specials on Netflix the other day. Of the two, Billy Gardell's was funnier.

Watched the Doug Benson documentary last night with Sarah. He goes sober for thirty days, takes various tests, and then smokes pot all day, every day for thirty days, takes the same tests & compares 'em. He got more right durin' the psychic test while stoned, and had a higher sperm count & SAT score. But he also gained weight, lowered lung capacity and lost math skills.

There was also an interestin' side story about the dispensaries durin' the same sixty days, but other than that, I'm not sure what the point was...

I'm catchin' grief from folks at work about whether or not I'll watch the Twilight movie, since I see everything we show...'til this mornin', I'd only seen the first one.

Watched New Moon this mornin', have Eclipse playin' now. God, these movies suck...but, since there are only two more to go after this, might as well see it through.

Red Dawn: went to a sneak peek of this and I haven't seen the original since the early 90's on old VHS. It wasn't one of those sacred to me 80's movies so my recollection on it was vague with just the main beats I recalled. So I set out to gauge this film on it's own merit. Overall I found it enjoyable. There is the one selfish teen who it takes the entire movie to realize bigger things are at stake. I even managed to not dislike him so much by the end. However, it's the end of the film that makes place this as a B- instead of a B+/A- grade. Again, maybe the original ends similarly but I don't like the end. After the struggle and conflict I need more solid info than the point it ends that things are looking up. If one has become a fan of Chris Hemsworth since he became leading man material then I think you'll like this film for him if nothing else.

Dracula (1979): This version based on Bram Stokers book stars Frank Langella as Dracula and Donald Pleasance as Dr. Seward. I really liked this take and enjoy the work of both men. I found the f/x of the day to be adequate. The worst was when Dracula would become a bat and it was clearly "rubber bat on a wire" but it was one of the better attempts. I felt the story flowed well and ended on a good cliffhanger.

Dracula (2006): This is Masterpiece Theater's take on the novel and I found it a bit choppy. Probably due to screenplay but partly budget as well as the audience it was playing to(general) by airing on PBS. While adding the '79 version I saw this one and it said starring Sophia Myles(who I knew from Underworld) and decided to go with a double feature of the Count. Here Sophia plays Lucy and again due to being constrained some of the more iconic scenes were not only trimmed but cut out. The acting was good which only adds to the woe of the film's constraint. The actress playing Mina(Stephanie Leonidas) I thought brought a great dual sense of trepidation and strength to her role. The make up for Dracula was passable and may be my one complaint outside the budget/editing ones I listed already.

The style and method with which each version chose to emphasis, or not, made me aware that it's time I reread the book. The most iconic film version I've seen repeatedly is the '92 version with Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves so I'd compare both off of this film and what moments it emphasized. Time to pull this off the shelf at some point and give it a reread.

Woke up this afternoon to find the roommates gone, so I started to watch Network. The Drafthouse has been showin' it this month, but I wound up workin' each night it was playin', so I kept missin' out.

Not too bad of a movie - lots of great monologues delivered by a great cast that included William Holden, Ned Beatty & Robert Duvall.

The roommates showed up early into it, though, and David kinda complained about how long it was, and Sarah had already seen it, too.

After that, I went over to the Ritz. Drafthouse is doin' a Preston Sturgess retrospective, showin' three of his films this month. Sullivan's Travels was the first of the three. I was curious about it, since it was referenced by Steve Martin's character in Grand Canyon, which also has one of my favorite quotes ever from a movie...

There was some good humor in the movie, and it told a good story. I'm glad I went to see it, and I may try to go to the next two films in the retrospective, too, if I have the time off.

After Sullivan's Travels, I stuck around at the Ritz, and saw Skyfall again, with my buddy Jeff and two of his friends and had I known he was bringin' women, I'd have shaved my face...

I've been watching mostly TV series lately, so I forgot to log my movies!!

Open House ✭✭Tricia Helfer gives a good performance, but other than this film is pretty bad. Anna Paquin directed it though and does have a quick cameo along with husband Stephen Moyer.

The Five-Year Engagement ✭✭✭½I'm a huge Jason Segel fan, so I enjoyed this movie. I liked the cast, but couldn't stop imagining Rhys Ifans as the Lizard. It was a little bit too long and got a little bit weird in places, but it's a good movie.

Office Space ✭✭½This is the first time I've ever seen this movie, believe it or not. I just thought it was 'ok'. There are some memorable lines, but I don't see why some of my friends watch this movie once a week.

The Mummy ✭✭✭✭The Boris Karloff version.... it's really good. It's not as good as Frankenstein or Phantom of the Opera, but I think it's better than Dracula.

The Beaver ✭✭✭This movie is weird. There's something lacking from it and I didn't quite make an emotional connection with Mel Gibson's character. I would have watched it sooner if Jennifer Lawrence was in it, though!

Paranormal Activity 4 ✭✭Paranormal Activity has outstayed its welcome. The original is one of my favorite horror films, but the diminishing returns are very evident. I'm really not even sure what the plot was. Absolutely NO chills or thrills in this movie.

Looper ✭✭✭½This is a unique take on time travel that I really enjoyed. The telekinetic angle seemed kind of forced, though.

Safety Not Guaranteed ✭✭✭✭This movie is phenomenal! It's a little predictable, but all the characters are just so charming that you'll walk away from the movie with a smile on your face and a 'that was awesome.'

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World ✭✭✭½Keira Knightley and Steve Carrell make for an unlikely duo, but it really works.

I liked the cast. What's not to like with Nathan Fillon as lead playing the town sheriff. Probably if I'd seen this when it came out Michael Rooker wouldn't have meant anything to me but I'm seeing it post-Walking Dead. Elizabeth Banks and Jenna Fisher also added to the fun of the cast. While the creature effects left plenty to be desired and were worthy of being called a B-film the actors carried the flimsy script probably better than it deserved. This is probably a C film but the actors helped in this case carry the film higher than it likely should.

My only real question coming out of this though is it's written and directed by James Gunn. The guy whose just be given Marvel Studio's very risky space team film Guardians of the Galaxy. I hope he's up for it, cause based on this film I'm going to have to fall back on "In Joss We Trust".

313. Robotech: The Sentinels (✩✩✩½) - DVD - This isn't really a movie, it's the first three episodes of a failed TV series that was to serve as the sequel/spinoff to Robotech. It's a pretty good follow-up to the first season of the show. It's a shame that funding fell through and this didn't go to series.

314. What's Your Number? (✩✩✩✩) - DVD - The title refers to the number of people you've slept with and it's about a young woman who's distraught over how many guys she's slept with and wants one of the guys on her list to be The One so that she doesn't go over her present number. Stars Anna Faris and Chris Evans. It also sports an impressive supporting cast that includes Blythe Danner, Ed Begley Jr. and Joel McHale, with appearances by Zachary Quinto, Martin Freeman and Andy Samberg. It's a formulaic sex comedy, but it was a lot of fun. I loved it. I also just read that Anna Faris's husband is in the movie.

315. Dragonball: Evolution (✩✩✩) - DVD - A live action take on the Dragon Ball cartoon. I've never seen the animated series, but I've seen bits and bites and I got the impression that the live action characters captured their animated counterparts alright. This movie has been trashed mercilessly, but I enjoyed a lot of it. It was colorful and fun even if the end battle lacked originality. It also had an impressive cast consisting of Chow Yun-Fat, James Marsters, Ernie Hudson and Emmy Rossum. The star, Justin Chatwin is also Rossum's co-star on Shameless. Gotta check that out.

316. Perfect Sense (✩✩✩✩½) - On Demand - Two lovers, a chef and a research doctor cope with a world where an epidemic is taking away everyone's senses one by one. First, people lose their sense of smell, then a few weeks later, taste, and so forth, and each time, society has to adjust until it can't anymore. It's a little slow at first and it can be artsy but otherwise I found this to be a pretty compelling piece of scifi drama. It's very much like Blindness and Children of Men. It stars Ewan McGreggor and Eva Green. I wish this movie was getting more attention among scifi fans. See it. It's worth checking out.

317. Red Dawn (✩✩✩) - Theatre - Saw this remake and found it to be an enjoyable action thriller, but otherwise, it's nothing to write home about. It's got a good looking cast that includes Chris Hemsworth. He's pretty good as the all-american ex military lead/big brother. He also reminded me of Stringfellow Hawke from Airwolf. If they ever do a remake, he should get the part. I also enjoyed Will Yun Lee as one of the North Koreans. He's always good. There was a scene that was taken from the original, it was when they killed the deer and one of the boys had to drink the blood. I rolled my eyes when it came up, but loved what they did with it in the end. It was the most memorable scene in the movie. And with the way the film ended, it looks like they want to leave room for a sequel.

318. Silver Linings Playbook (✩✩✩✩✩) - Theatre - Two screwed up people, one a bipolar ex-teacher fresh out of a mental institution, and the other, a depressive sex addict, find eachother. Stars Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro. And it looks like Chris Tucker came out of retirement for this one. This was an excellent movie. Out of the over 300 I've seen this year, this is the 6th to get 5 stars. It's witty, sharp and tells a good story about two people and their problems. Plus, the two leads had great chemistry and really delivered. And let's be honest, they're good looking and they're at the top of their game right now.

I haven't seen people criticizing Casino Royale in relation to this movie (apart from the people who didn't like it to begin with).

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A bit of an overreaction on my part. I was responding to a number of reviews that suggested Craig's Bond finally "came of age" in the new movie, which I read as suggesting that the previous two films were somehow immature.

One Eyed Jacks: Marlon Brando's directorial debut is also his final film as a director, and it's not hard to see why. Apparently, Brando would water hours for the perfect wave to appear in the background, one of the many decisions that set the film dramatically over schedule. On screen, these shots didn't strike me with much impact. As a whole, the movie often moves at a snail's pace, with a story that never justifies the long running time (itself cut down significantly from what Brando wanted -- thankfully).

The studio made one mistake when they took the film away from Brando. though -- they changed the ending. In the original, the film is a tragedy hurtling towards the deaths of all three principals. In the released version, the film hurtles towards an ending where...the bad guy is killed and the film's couple gets away. The dramatic momentum goes nowhere.

The film gets by based on the performances of its two leads -- especially Karl Malden, although Brandon capably directs himself. (Brando can't help but let his weight fluctuate wildly, though, which ruins continuity from scene to scene).

The Man Nobody Knew: In Search of My Father, CIA Spymaster William Colby: A well-made and fascinating documentary about the former CIA director, narrated by Colby's son. The ending, which suggests Colby committed suicide, has been criticized by some, but the film doesn't ever suggest it is objective -- it is the son's point of view -- so I'm not bothered by that. Having said that, I think the movie lets Colby off the hook over his policies in Vietnam a little too easily, but it never devolves into hagiography.

Aliens: The difference between the special edition, which I watched here, and the theatrical cut, which I saw earlier this year, is the difference between a good movie and one of the best sequels ever made. It's frightening, exciting, and is able to demonstrate surprising emotional complexity. This is probably where the series should have ended, though.

Bernie: This movie didn't do much business at the box office, but I think it will attract a lot more attention on home video (and on Netflix, where I saw it). The three main performances are all exceptional; Jack Black really stretches himself here and impressed me as an actor for the first time. He's successfully played variations on himself in a number of movies (High Fidelity, School of Rock), but here he plays a character with a walk, a voice, and a demeanor that is entirely like that.

Inheritance: This is holocaust documentary about the daughter of Amon Goeth meeting one of his Jewish servants from the war for the first time. The subject is fascinating, but the presentation doesn't do it justice.

319. Proof (✩✩✩½) - DVD - A 27 year old woman deals with depression, the recent death of her mentally ill math genius father, a guy and a revolutionary unpublished proof. Stars Gwenyth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins and Jake Gyllenhaal. It's a complex movie with flashbacks, appearances by a dead father and a lot of complex emotions and actions from our depressed lead. It's good though. I loved Paltrow's character.

320. Dream House (✩✩✩) - DVD - A couple that just moved out of the city with their kids, discovers that a family was murdered in the house they bought and it's causing them some problems. Stars Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz. It started off as a boring wannabe thriller, but about 45 minutes or so in, it suddenly got interesting.

321. Sound of My Voice (✩✩✩✩) - On Demand - Two journalists infiltrate a small cult led by a young woman who claims to be from the future. Stars Brit Marling, who wrote and starred in Another Earth. I really enjoyed this film and highly recommend it. It'll keep you fixated from beginning to end. It's also a film that requires you to pay attention to details and think. Then when you're done, you'll have to eaither watch it again or think about what you just saw.

322. Aquamarine (✩✩½) - Live TV - Two teenage girls find a mermaid in a pool. Stars Emma Roberts and Sara Paxton. It's a teenie movie for young girls. wIt's got lame humor, but it was enjoyable enough as something to have on. I got a kick out of the Aquaman-like abilities that the mermaid commanded.

323. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (✩✩) - Live TV - Good looking movie, but it didn't hold my attention and I didn't enjoy it. Gemma Arterton sure was pretty though.

324. Fierce People (✩✩✩) - Live TV - A slice of life movie where a boy and his mother go out to a guest house in a country estate owned by a rich man she befriended. You'll recognize it as Smallville's Luthor mansion. It had an impressive cast that included Anton Yelchin, Diane Lane, Donald Sutherland, Chris Evans and Kristen Stewart. It was somewhat watchable. I wonder how Yelchin got such a lead role.

A wonderful ghost story that combines suspenseful and touching/tragic moments. The leading actress, Rueda, gives a great performance and the script is very good (in the way that it offers pay off to so many things shown earlier).

Fatal Attraction: The fact that this is widely considered the mother of all erotic thrillers has me stumped. The cinematography opts for a murky, almost sepia tone that deprives the proceedings of any eroticism (the aesthetics of the 80s don't help, but that's not the film's fault). Alex Forrest (Glenn Close), often considered one of the best screen villains, is rarely a threat. Only in the re-shot conclusion does she pose any palpable danger to Michael Douglas and his family, but the price of that sequence is the psychological plausibility of her character, as well as a ridiculous false ending resolved when Anne Archer (as Douglas' wife, hardly a character in the movie) gets the last word.